95 



bear a slight resemblance to some species of Lecanium. The oyster- 

 shell bark louse, in most parts of Canada a serious enemy of the fruit 

 grower, has been much reduced in numbers by the parasite Aphelinus 

 rnytilaspidis, which has been at work all through the Niagara district. 

 Experiments have been tried with several of the usually recommended 

 remedies for the oyster-shell bark louse, and the results of some exper- 

 iments with a simple lime whitewash, which have been carried on by 

 Mr. W. T. Macoun, horticulturist at the Central Experimental Farm, 

 are worth mentioning. When spraying trees with whitewash to 

 retard the opening of the flower buds, Mr. Macoun noticed that the 

 bark lice were killed and scaled off in large numbers from the trees as 

 the whitewash fell, and from present appearances the results of spray- 

 ing fruit trees infested with the oyster-shell bark louse are such as to 

 indicate that this will prove a valuable, simple, and inexpensive 

 remedy. 



ROOTS AND VEGETABLES. 



The most troublesome insects this season under this head have been 

 the root maggots of the onion and cabbage. Many remedies have 

 been tried, but nothing actually new has been learned. The Gough 

 tarred-paper disks have been very successfully used, and for cabbages 

 and cauliflowers with more satisfaction than anything else. These 

 have been fully described by Mr. Slingerland. Among the insect 

 enemies of the pea, the pea weevil {Bruchus pisorum) is still abundant 

 in some parts of Canada — a fact, I think, due to greater negligence on 

 the part of seedsmen in treating seed than was formerly the case. The 

 destructive pea aphis has not yet made its reappearance in Canada this 

 season. The white cabbage butterfly {Pleris ntpai)^ every year the 

 cause of much loss to cabbage growers, has now reached Vancouver 

 Island, and thus extends from the Atlantic to the Pacitic. The red 

 turnip beetle {Eritommcdis adonidls) has appeared rather earlier than 

 usual in the NorthwestTwhere it attacks all cruciferous plants. It is 

 particularly attracted by the wild crucifers, Sisymhriwn inciswn and 

 Eryshnnm inconsplcuiun. Although no serious loss has as yet been 

 reported from this insect, with the gradual settling up of the prairie 

 provinces it is to be feared that this will become a serious pest of cab- 

 bages, turnips, and radishes. 



CEREALS. 



One of the serious outl)reaks of the present season is by locusts (J£ 

 spretus and atla7iis) in Manitoba, which hatched out remarkabh' early 

 this year, namely, by May 20, and owing to the exceptional drought 

 have alread}^ done much harm to crops. Cutworms have also been 

 abundant in w^heat fields. A new attack of much interest in the wheat 

 fields of Manitoba last year was bj'^ the Hessian fly, which reduced the 

 crop from 5 to 25 per cent in different places. Another of the old- 



